Oh, my word! LOL! That is hysterical! Thank you! That's what I strive for in seedlings, honest! I want roses which thrive on being ignored. Your recommendation should be used for advertising. The original seedling thrives in my hot, dry back yard, receiving far too much sun and heat and only water. No disease, no pest issues (other than moles), flowering like the "weed" it is. I'm thrilled yours is behaving itself. That makes me a proud "papa"! Only 18" X 18"? Mine is over 4' X 4' with an established shoot over 5' and two new "Jack and the Beenstalk" shoots rising up through the canopy which I'm sure will be as large as the tall one now is. Again, with no fertilizing and in real "junk dirt". Yes, those are weeds off to the left side of the shot. It's hot and I'd much rather be pimping pollen than weeding. I consider them my "companion plants".

You should contact Linda at Long Ago Roses (linked below). I'm pretty sure she should have Porcelain Rose, unless the winter there was worse than expected.

Here is my plant this week, complete with fried blooms due to the extreme heat wave which appears to have just ended (thankfully!). Thanks, again! Kim
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Here is a link that might be useful: Long Ago Roses

Is that Lauren, in your photos, Kim? OMG, I want it!!!! Gosh, I hope somebody over here sells it...bart

Yes ma'am, that is the original seedling from which they've all been produced. Though not listed currently, you might contact Hans van Hage at Bierkreek as he has offered it previously, if I recall correctly. Rosaplant is one of his partners and has listed several of my roses in previous seasons. I should email Hans to make sure he still has material as I need to send him a box in July. Thank you! Yes, Lauren has turned out to be quite a decent rose. Chill Out! Roses in Anchorage offered it and said they didn't have to do anything unusual for it, so I know it can withstand some cold and it DEFINITELY withstands heat! Kim

Hi Kim,
I'm almost as proud of Lauren as you are, lol. Seriously, you have something to be proud of. Those are great pix of a great plant. But don't disparage "only 18 inches". When I got her last Fall, she was one stem with I think five leaf clusters in an umbrella shape at the top. I thought to myself, "Self, there's no way this poor little thing will make it through the winter". I threw a little water her way now and then, and when autumn cleanup time came, I set her aside and promptly forgot about her until the first hard freeze. At that point, I assumed it was a lost cause and just left her for dead. BUT! this Spring she's sent up EIGHT short canes, and has more than 50 buds. I think 18 inches is quite commendable...for a hussie, lol. And I DO *need* (it's beyond *want* at this point) to get my hands on your Porcelain Rose. If its genes are anywhere as good as Lauren's, I'll have to buy more Austins to go with it so I'll still have something to complain about :P I'll get in touch with Linda ASAP. She's where I got Lauren, lol.

Oh, and Bart, here in my cooler weather, Lauren is even prettier. She's closer to a purplish pink (like the darker blooms that are in shadow in Kim's pix), with hints and streaks of lighter pink and a white base to the petals that makes them glow. She's also slightly more double here. Of course, these are her first blooms. I'm anxious to see what the brazen showoff does in warmer weather!

John

Thanks, John! You should honestly look at Lynnie and Little Butterfly, also. Paul Zimmerman reported some years ago that both survived multiple nights of 9 degree ice storms in four inch pots, on exposed tables with no damage at Ashdown. Mike Lowe (Lowe's Own Root Roses in Nashua, New Hampshire) reported he grew them both without winter protection and experienced no winter kill on either.

The common threads are Basye's Legacy (Lynnie, Porcelain Rose) and multiflora (Porcelain Rose, Little Butterfly, Lauren), both of which seem to provide excellent disease resistance and cold hardiness. In addition, they provide ease of rooting; ease of growing own root; and insistence of flowering. Paul stated he loved how easily Lynnie rooted and exploded into flower as small plants in small pots. When you contact Linda, you might also ask her impressions of "Joyberry". It's a cross between the mini, Joycie and Basye's Blueberry. I'd hoped for it to be prickle-free, and it isn't, but it IS vigorous, healthy, heavily flowering and incredibly fragrant. Paul Barden stated it had a "true, Old Rose scent". Immature plants can experience some rust, but they grow out of it. If a rose can easily rust, here it WILL rust. Joyberry, even grown in an extremely hot, dry, south-west exposure backed by cement block retaining wall, doesn't rust.

'Arctic hardiness' is definitely NOT something I can test for here in the 'land of endless summer', but increased mildew and rust resistance as well as increased resistance to our strains of black spot are. Ease of rooting; success as own root plants and urgency of bloom are all requirements I hold dear for any seedling I willingly 'let go of'. Not that all of my seedlings are perfect in all those categories, but they are all improvements in the health, propagation and easy gardening departments over what I grow and observe around me, or they don't make it out of my 'beds of death' alive. No joke. Ralph Moore said many times over many years that he "tested by stress". He didn't coddle seedlings. He only sprayed the retail nursery stock because he had to in order to keep it 'retail ready' so it would be acceptable and legal to release to customers. The breeding and testing material, other than just being watered, often had to fend for themselves. He said, "If I can't kill it, most of my customers shouldn't easily be able to." As far as raising seedling plants of any kind, I believe those are wise words to take to heart. I don't spray anything, at all, nor do I use any soil applied pesticides or fungicides. I'm fortunate that my climate allows me that luxury, but that means anything requiring spraying, dies, whether due to disease or a healthy dose of the shovel. Thanks. Kim

Just beautiful. I will be glad when my little band grows up. So pretty!
Susan

Kim, I'm ALREADY on Linda's waiting list for Annie Laurie McDowell and we've discussed just about every rose you sent her...She's going to suspect you and I have a thing going on :P lol.

Are you kidding? As long as you're BUYING what she can supply, she won't care! LOL! Nice lady that Linda. Thanks. Kim

Kim, when I clicked on "Kim Rupert's Roses" on the Long Ago website, it said the page no longer exists. It's good to know they still carry your roses.

I wonder who will have Annie Laurie McDowell first, Linda or Burling? But I'm starting to think it might be best to receive the rose after summer. Any young rose would have a difficult time in this heat.

Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: Kim Rupert's Roses on Long Ago

Hi Bonnie, Long Ago is working on their site, so the page being down isn't surprising. I know she's like Burling in that she's a one person operation. You can imagine trying to take care of hundreds to thousands of plants; propagate them all; handle all the "chief cook and bottle washer" duties for the business and household, etc., AND mess around with a web site. It will get there.

I don't know who will have stock ready first. Remember Long Ago is on the east coast and doesn't ship west of the Rockies. Burling is less than three hours from you. Actually, I prefer receiving young plants during weather as we're "suffering" right now. Replanted in a larger pot, in good soil, placed in filtered sun and kept well fed and watered, most will grow like mad with this heat. It sets the stage for the perfect opportunity to push them by keeping them disbudded. I'm impatient when it comes to pushing plants. It drives me crazier for them to just SIT there, appearing to do nothing. Kim

Hi Kim:
I knew there was a reason why I thought Burling was my only source for Annie. I just forgot why. Thank you kindly for the reminder. Good to hear that new roses will do fine in the heat, because that's all I have, new roses and heat! Considering my air conditioning broke on the weekend, we're all seeking partial shade :)

Bonnie

Update: I received an email from Burling today that my Annie Laurie McDowell is ready to ship. Great news! I'm so excited! I've been on the waiting list awhile. I'm sure by word of mouth, there is a large fan base for Kim Rupert's roses. :)

This post was edited by jasminerose4u on Mon, May 19, 14 at 22:55

Thanks for letting me know, Bonnie. I'm sorry about your a/c. I don't run mine unless absolutely necessary as I HATE doubling the DWP bill. I'm glad Annie Laurie McDowell is finally getting out into gardens! Thanks. Kim

Kim - why oh why can't we have your roses in Australia!?! I keep reading on these forums how wonderful they all are (especially Annie Laurie McDowell), but I can't have them! It's a cruel and masochistic form of torture, and yet I keep returning to GW...

(I'm sure there is a pretty valid reason. But I have to vent about these things sometimes).

It's honestly very simple. That requires an Australian agent who is wiling to spend the very high costs of importing it into Australia; hold it for several years in quarantine until your Ag. Dept. decides it won't infect your continent with the creeping womblegottus; then bud and distribute it. I have rose friends there in Australia and have tried making the appropriate contacts to get something like that started. So far, no cigar. If you have any such contacts, please feel free to start greasing the wheels from your end! Thanks! Kim

Boo-hoo, I just killed my Lauren in a one gallon pot. A clump of nut grass had sprouted in the pot. I pulled it out, repotted her in a five gallon pot and watered Lauren well, but in four days she was brown and crispy. I guess between disturbing the roots--you know what a root system nut grass has--and our temps that are already in the mid to high nineties, it was too much for her. I've never had this happen before, and I'm so disappointed. I got her from Rose Petals, but she's no longer propagating her.

Sorry Kim, I have zero contacts apart from my friends on our Aussie RoseTalk forum. And I bet the fellow who runs the forum has already contacted all the likely suspects to no avail, as he's very good like that. This is very depressing!

The creeping womblegottus sounds terrifying! Hahahaha.

The OP was ridiculously funny.

I want that rose. Is it available in the EU?

M

Bierkreek in The Netherlands had it and may still. I don't know. Rosaplant is one of their partners and may be able to supply it. Unfortunately, it appears the lists on HMF aren't current. Kim

For those of you looking for Lauren, Longagoroses just listed it in ebay